Plug and socket for the mounting of an assembly of electrical components



3,396,313 PLUG AND SOCKET FOR THE MQUNTING OF AN ASSEMBLY l. S. PAYNE Aug. 6, 1968 OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Sept. 25. 1966 United States Patent "ice 3,396,313 PLUG AND SOCKET FOR THE MOUNTING OF AN ASSEMBLY OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Ivan Salisbury Payne, Basingstoke, England, assignor to Lansing Bagnall Limited, Basingstoke, England, a British company Filed Sept. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 581,513 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 28, 1965, 41,031/ 65 3 Claims. (Cl. 317-101) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A unit comprising an assembly of electrical components has along one edge a row of plug contacts of strip form and a portion adjacent the said edge encapsulated in a body of insulating material from which the plug contacts project, which body provides an integral open-mouthed hollow casing surrounding the plug contacts and extending for a depth at least equal to the amount by which the plug contacts project from the body, in combination with a multi-contact edge connector having socket contacts which interengage with the plug contacts of the unit, the body of the connector being a sliding fit along both sides of the row of interengaging contacts within the open mouth of the integral hollow casing of the unit.

This invention relates to the mounting of electrical components.

According to the invention an assembly of electrical components are held together to form, as a separable unit, at least part of an electrical circuit, which unit has along one edge a multiplicity of plug contacts (or sockets) for engagement with the sockets (or contacts) of a multicontact connector and has at least a portion, adjacent the said edge having the contacts (or sockets), encapsulated in a body of insulating material which is arranged, when the contacts (or sockets) are in engagement with the sockets (or contacts) of a connector, to co-operate with the body of the connector to support the unit whereby the contacts (or sockets) are relieved of this function.

In one form of the invention the components are mounted on a carrier, e.g. a printed circuit board and the encapsulation preferably surrounds all the electrical components and the carrier.

In another form of the invention the components are mounted in a box or other housing, which housing is at least partially filled with encapsulating material whereby at least the said portion adjacent the edge having the contacts (or sockets) is encapsulated in a body of insulating material. In the case of the unit being provided with plug contacts, the contacts may be strip or pin contacts.

The said encapsulating body preferably provides an open-mouthed hollow casing surrounding the contacts (or sockets) which casing is capable of housing at least part of the connector and forming a sliding-fit therewith, the casing and the connector being designed so that the said part of the connector is received within the casing before the contacts (or sockets) are fully engaged with the sockets (or contacts) of the connector.

By this construction a bending force applied to the unit or to the connector will be resisted by the joint between the said casing and the part of the connector housed therein and not by the contacts or sockets. Such a construction is therefore of advantage when vibration or knocking of the unit is likely to take place during manufacture, installation or use of the unit.

The invention also includes an assembly, as aforesaid, in combination with a connector having a multiplicity of sockets (or contacts) for reception of the contacts (or 3,396,313 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 sockets) of the unit and having a body which co-operates with the encapsulated body portion of the unit to support the unit.

Means may be provided whereby the unit and the connector can only be assembled in one predetermined manner. Such means may conveniently comprise at least one interlocking pin and socket which pin is designed for engagement in the socket when the connector and the unit are in their predetermined assembly positions, the pin being associated with the connector and the socket with the encapsulated casing or vice versa.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded elevation, partly in section, of a unit and associated socket connector;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the unit and socket connector as shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an underplan of the unit shown in FIG URES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan of the socket connector shown in FIGURES l and 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of three sets of unit and socket connector mounted on the same mounting plate.

With reference to FIGURES 1 to 4, the unit includes a carrier which in this example is a printed circuit board 10, which board is designed for use in the electrical equipment of an industrial truck. The invention is, of course, not limited thereto but in such a case the printed circuit board is subjected to vibration and knocking during manufacture or installation and during use of the truck and is therefore much improved by use of the invention.

The printed circuit board 10 is provided with a multiplicity of strip contacts 11 for engagement in the spring sockets 12 of a multi-contact socket connector 13.

The printed circuit board 10 and all of the electrical elements attached thereto are moulded in a rigid encapsulation 14, which encapsulation, at the end of the board adjacent the contacts 11, is formed to provide a rectangular hollow open-mouthed casing or recess 15 which surrounds the strip contacts 11. The walls of the casing are also spaced from the printed circuit board 10 and the strip contacts 11 so that the casing will surround or house an upstanding portion 16 of the connector 13, which portion 16 houses the spring contacts 12. The dimensions of the casing 15 and the portion 16 of the connector 13 are such that, in use, the portion 16 is a sliding-fit therein and the depth of the casing is such that the portion 16 is fully inserted therein before the strip contacts 11 are fully inserted in the spring contacts 12. Any bending force applied to the board 10, and thus to the casing 15, or the connector 13 will thus be resisted by the joint therebetween and not by the strip contacts 11.

The connector 13 is provided with a base 30 which, at each end, protrudes beyond the portion 16 of the connector. In this example, the connector is mounted in position by securing (by countersunk screws 18) each protruding end 17 of the connector base to the underside of the base 31 of an upturned channel-shaped plate 32, the base 31 being provided with an opening 34 through which the portion 16 of the connector can pass. The arms 33 of the plate 32 are secured to a mounting plate 19 which plate 19 is in turn rigidly mounted to the chassis of the truck. The upper surface of the base 31 of the plate 32 which surrounds the opening 34 serves to limit the insertion of the portion 16-of the connector into the casing 15 of the board.

Each of the spring contacts 12 of the connector is also provided with a connector tag 20 for connecting the contact to an external circuit.

Locating means are provided so that the board 10 and the connector 13 can only be assembled in a predetermined manner, which means comprise a pair of pins 21 mounted on the upper surface of the base 31 of the plate 32 for engagement in two holes 22 in the underside of the encapsulation 14. Other positions for the pins and their associated holes may be used for further boards. Also, the pins may project from the encapsulation 14 for reception in holes in the base 31 of the plate 32.

If desired, the board may be provided with an encapsulation 14 of such a colour that is distinctive to its desired position or to its particular arrangement of the 10- cating pins.

With regard to FIGURE 5, three encapsulated boards are mounted together on the same mounting plate 19. For additional support, the boards are clamped to the mounting plate 19 by a metal scrap 23 and bolts 24, which bolts, in this example, are provided with shoulders 36 which secure the plate 32 to the mounting plate 19. A strip of rubber 26 is located underneath the strap 23 to avoid damage to the boards when the nuts 25 on the bolts 24 are tightened. Alternatively the metal strap 23 and bolts 24 may be replaced by a box, e.g. of plastic, which encases the upstanding portions of the three boards 10 and which is secured to the mounting plate 19 by, for example, spring clips. It will be noticed that each of the three boards is supported on a single channel-shaped plate 32, which plate has three openings 34 in its base through which pass the upstanding portions 16 of the three connectors. Each board is also moulded in an encapsulation of a. different colour, the colour of the encapsulation deter-mining the position of the board on the mounting plate 19. The plate 32 is provided with a cable entry 35 for the wires passing to the tags of the connectors.

It will be appreciated that the construction of the casing or recess 15 of this example is such that it surrounds the full length of the strip contacts 11 of the board 10 and thereby protects the contacts from damage before assembly.

It is also to be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to a printed circuit board mounted in the manner described but also includes other carriers mounted in this way. The invention further includes an assembly in accordance with the invention manufactured by mounting one or more electrical components in a box and then filling the box with encapsulating material.

The invention also includes an assembly in which the sockets are provided by the unit and the contacts are provided by the connector.

I claim:

1. An assembly of electrical components held together, as a unit by encapsulation in a body of insulating material, which unit has along one edge a row of plug contacts of strip form, the said plug contacts projecting from said body, said encapsulating body providing an open-mouthed hollow casing surrounding the plug contacts which casing is integral with the encapsulating body and extends for a depth at least equal to the amount by which the plug contacts project from the body, the unit being provided in combination with a multi-contact edge connector having a corresponding row of socket contacts held in a body and interengaged with the plug contacts of the unit, the body of the edge connector being a sliding fit along both sides of the row of interengagi-ng contacts within the open mouth of the said integral hollow casing of the unit.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the length by which each plug contact projects from the encapsulating body is less than the depth of the associated socket contact of the edge connector.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the said electrical components are mounted on a carrier and connected together by a printed circuit on the carrier, the carrier projecting into the said hollow casing and supporting the plug contacts which extend from and form part of the printed circuit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,086,096 4/1963 McGee 339l7 3,090,919 5/1963 Tateishi 317-101 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,047 2/1960 Australia.

OTHER REFERENCES Quayle et al.: Experimental Encapsulation Technique, Electronic Design, January 1955, pp. 4447.

Transistorized Modules for Digital Systems, Computer Control Co. Inc. (92 Broad St., Wellesley 57, Mass), Catalog-M, February 1957.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner. D. SMITH, Assistant Examiner. 

